Lifelong
by kawaiichiisaikitsune
Summary: Shikamaru comes back from a mission, immersed in the clouds, and his already faltered, lifelong plan meets another kink. But that's okay, it isn't too troublesome. Established Relationship, ShikaHina.


**Title: **Lifelong  
**Author: **Dana.  
**Information: **Anime - Naruto - ShikamaruHinata

**Summary: **Shikamaru comes back from a mission, immersed in the clouds, and his already faltered, lifelong plan meets another kink. But that's okay, it wasn't too troublesome. Established Relationship.  
**Notes: **So, well, I've been talking to orenji-Dae lately. :) And I guess her choice of pairings have rubbed off on me. So I'm writing this with no distinct plot. Let's hope it comes out okay. Check it out! :)

**Begins.**

A feathery touch disturbed his peace. His eyes had been shut, his head heavenward, and his hands cushioning his head while his elbows defiantly protruded the area around him. A lazy eye opened, dull, black orbs focusing on the arm blocking the view of the sky. The clouds, fluffy, white and full of ease, lolled by, dancing around this arm and distracting him from whatever touch soothed his brow.

The pale hand, gentle as the fabric of a geisha's kimono, ran across the small wound upon his brow. The fleeting touch, careful and adoring, wiped away the stained blood, a feat of its own, as the dried, red substance had long since cultivated on his brow. But her long, slender fingers, filled with rough calluses that were nearly nonexistent, freed the blood and drew away from his face. His lazy eyes did not follow this retreat, instead kept the gaze undeterred on the clouds. His body shifted against the bark of the tree, pushing him farther up the trunk.

His hair was forced heavenward against his kneaded hands; his clothes were dirtied and ripped, covered in blood and nature, worn like a true ninja. But he did not care, he had not since his first minute back. His attention was fixated on the lolling clouds, not on the mission report that was due or the members of his group getting healed or even the friends waiting to see him to celebrate. Shikamaru dealt with his time much better - sitting in the middle of the training forest, where a hill rose above the ground, and watching the one thing that ever stayed constant - the sky.

But the light touch once again disrupted his peace, cold ointment now being the one to soothe his brow. His eyes slipped closed, but his breath did not change, and his lips remained tight-lipped. His voice, unused for such a long time, was simple and clear, as it had always been. He sighed the sigh everyone was used to hearing from him, and said more plainly then the clouds in the sky, "It's just a little cut. Really, you don't have to bother."

He heard no reply. Dull eyes were once again bestowed upon the sky before moving in her direction to see a small, shy shake of the head. Her fingers still lovingly ran across his brow, but drew back when she caught his stare. A timid, embarrassed smile graced her lips, eyes smiling along, as she wiped the excess ointment on another cut peaking out from the collar of his attire. His eyes dared not move from her face, locked on her pale features and girlish charm.

"How troublesome," he muttered under his breath, forcing himself to look away. His closed eyes envision the life he had wanted; the life he dreamed of since he was a babe. To be a good ninja, not extraordinary or horrible, and make a living off of missions with time to spare for cloud-gazing. To meet a woman, neither beautiful nor ugly, and to marry her, not necessarily fall in love, as that was much too troublesome. To have a son first and a daughter second, to work as a ninja as his son worked up the ladder. To accompany his daughter down the aisle at her wedding, to congratulate his son on becoming a jounin. Then to retire of old age, to play shouji and spend ample times cloud-gazing until his last breath.

And here he was - a ninja that was neither extraordinary nor useless, but with brains not many could be granted with. He had crawled up the ladder of the ranks, making his living off the missions he took. He had met a woman, neither beautiful nor ugly to the public, but had not wed. Had not had a son, nor a daughter. Had not escorted his daughter down the aisle, or congratulated his son on becoming a jounin. Had not grown old, brains still intact, with a shouji bored in front of him. Had not died.

"I'm happy you're okay," a meek voice, soft and barely leveled with a whisper, said to him. His eyes snapped open, his thoughts laying forgotten on the floor of his mind, and shifted to the girl sitting beside him. Her hands pressed into her lap; her feet folded under her bottom; her shoulder-length, purple hair framing her soft features. A happy smile was directed at him, small but ever so gracious, and a blush heated his face as he watched the light eyes melt with such caring affection.

Her curling lips still seemed to pull higher as a laugh escaped them. His back was lifted from the bark; his hands untangled, with one scratching his temple. "Thanks, Hinata," he said after a long moment of time, his soft, flattered voice surprising even himself. The affection twirled along with it not going unnoticed.

A flush of red swept across the bones of her cheeks, making her pale features look even ghostlier than before. Or even more heavenly than before. His hand, departed from scratching his temple, reached out to Hinata and curled around her head. With bewildered eyes watching him, Shikamaru's hand, now entangled in her purple strands, pulled her head nearer him.

Hinata collided with his breast, her face breathing the scent of himself and his struggles. His attire may have been bloodied, dirtied, and full of nature, but she made no movement to go against it. No movement at all, only her meek hands clutching at the clothing covering his abdomen. His hand, nestled in her hair, stayed still, only his thumb moved back and forth against her neck.

But that changed, as her hands snaked around his middle, choosing the clutch desperately at the back of his outfit; her head turned against his chest, her cheek pillowed against his breast. His own hand, full of calluses and the roughness of a man, shifted down to curl around her shoulder, the other hand wrapping around her midsection. His eyes glanced to the clouds, slowing their movement across the sky, before looking to the girl nestled in his arms. For this time, and this time alone, though he could not promise that to himself, he chose to watch the girl - who eyes were watching him curiously as his own retreated from heavenward.

It seemed this gesture, however well she had understood it, made her shy smile lift with happiness of measures untold. Her pale, light eyes withdrew from the world as she delved deeper into his hold. "Thank you, Shikamaru," was all she said. And he thought, without disagreement, that this was fine. That, since there was already one kink in his life-plan, another few would be all right. Hinata, at least, wasn't troublesome.

**Ends.**

**Notes: **May I say... What the eff? All right, whatever. There it is, kinda lame. Sorry. Review?

**Here's the thing, it very vague but I'll explain the line "That, since there was already one kink in his life-plan, another few would be all right."** The first kink is her being beautiful, which goes against the "beautiful yet ugly" which is hinted by him chosing to look at her rather than the sky. And the "another few" refer more to the thought that he could fall in love with her. Neither of these were really clearly stated, but that's how I saw that line come into existence. Just so no one asked. :)


End file.
